News
Thursday 16th May 2024.
May 15, 2024
THE CABINET OF PRESIDENT ELECT JOSE RAUL MOLINO
Frank Ábrego, 61 years old, will be the head of the Public Security portfolio of the government of José Raúl Mulino.
Ábrego was the first director of the National Border Service (Senafront), a position he held until 2016. Before assuming command of Senafront, he worked in the Metropolitan Directorate of the National Police, but before that he was in the Defense Forces. He entered there in 1986, a year after graduating from the General Francisco Morazán military school, in Honduras.
One of the biggest challenges that Ábrego will have in this portfolio will be to face the migration crisis in Darién , especially with Mulino’s promise to “close” the border to prevent the passage of thousands of people who cross the jungle to reach Panama and then embark on the route to the United States. According to data from the National Immigration Service, as of Thursday, May 9, nearly 150,000 irregular migrants had entered the country through this route this year.
“We are going to close Darién and we are going to repatriate all these people accordingly, respecting human rights,” Mulino said in the midst of the political campaign for May 5.
Juan Carlos Navarro, politician, businessman and environmentalist, will be the Minister of the Environment in the Government of José Raúl Mulino , which will begin next July 1.
The above was confirmed by sources close to Mulino’s team.
La Prensa contacted Navarro, but he preferred not to comment. “I have no comments,” he responded to questions from La Prensa.
Navarro earned his bachelor’s degree in Geography and Government from Dartmouth College in 1983 and completed a master’s degree in Public Policy at Harvard University in 1985.
That same year he founded the National Association for Nature Conservation (ANCON), being its first executive director. Subsequently, he was elected Mayor of Panama (1999-2004) and re-elected with 60% of the votes in 2004 (2004-2009).
In 2009 he was the running mate of Balbina Herrera, presidential candidate for the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) in the general elections, but they were defeated by Ricardo Martinelli.
Then, in 2014, he became the presidential candidate of that same political party and suffered the same fate against Juan Carlos Varela.
He is the founder and CEO of the National Solar Energy Company, SA, NSolar, and is also the founding president of the Panamanian Chamber of Solar Energy.
The Ministry of the Environment is one of the institutions responsible for the closure of the mine in Donoso, province of Colón. In fact, last year Navarro spoke out against the mining contract.
“All our support to the citizens, environmental groups and organizations that call for a peaceful protest today in front of the National Assembly in rejection of the mining contract. We must all reject an unconstitutional and illegal contract, which seeks to destroy our natural heritage, through destructive and disastrous open pit mining without any control or supervision,” Navarro said on his social networks.
Javier Martínez Acha , a 60-year-old lawyer and economist, will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the government of José Raúl Mulino , who assumes the presidency of the Republic on July 1.
This was confirmed by sources from Mulino’s team.
Martínez Acha has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and economic sciences from Texas A&M University; In addition, he is a lawyer specializing in financial and banking law, international and corporate law and general manager and advisor to the board of directors of the firm Geneva Asset Management, SA
Geneva Asset Management was founded by Acha, Joaquín De la Guardia and West Valdés. Valdés eventually left and founded his own brokerage house, the now-defunct Financial Pacific.
In his X account, he presents himself as Panamanian, social democrat and member of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) . At the time when former capital mayor Juan Carlos Navarro led the National Executive Committee (CEN) of the PRD, Martínez Acha was the first undersecretary of that party.
His family owns the Casa del Marisco restaurant, so it is common to see him there and share a table with figures from political events.
Among the challenges of the foreign relations portfolio is strengthening the country’s strategy to address migratory flows through Darién, consolidating the diplomatic career, managing its strategic position as a logistics and financial center, and diversifying its commercial relations. and diplomatic, seeking a balance between the interests of global powers such as the United States and China. As well as the defense of their interests in international forums.
José Ramón Icaza is chosen by the president-elect, José Raúl Mulino , to occupy the position of minister of the Panama Canal. He would also be in charge of leading the logistics cabinet, an entity in charge of ensuring public-private dialogue to facilitate maritime and land transportation, interoperability and digitalization of the State.
As Minister of the Canal, he will be a key player between the waterway and the Executive to make decisions regarding the execution of a water project that guarantees water for human consumption and the passage of ships.
Icaza was president of the Chamber of Commerce, in the period 2021-2022, right in the middle of the crisis left by the blockade of the economy due to covid-19.
He has been part of the team that led the Gana Panamá alliance, which brings together more than 150 organizations, which presented a comprehensive plan to address challenges such as educational improvement, security, employment, economy and health.
Icaza highlighted, at the time, that this roadmap would serve to guide the actions of the next Government.
He is a civil engineer, with a master’s degree in construction project management and finance.
On the other hand, he is the owner and general manager of Proyectos Mar Azul, with operations in Panama and Colombia. This consulting firm specializes in construction project management in the residential, commercial and tourism sectors.
He participated in the discussion of the public-private partnership law, the money laundering law and the project that modified the standard and regulation of horizontal property.
On May 8, through his X account, he congratulated the elected authorities, indicating that it was time to unite to take advantage of the opportunities as a country.
Economist Felipe Chapman agreed to assume the position of Minister of Economy of Panama. After several days analyzing the responsibility that he must face, he informed the president-elect, José Raúl Mulino, that he will be part of his Government.
Chapman will face the enormous challenge of making macroeconomic decisions at a time when the country faces a high unemployment rate, informality affects more than 700 thousand people and the debt is close to $50 billion.
He has been linked to the business world as managing partner and president of the board of directors of Indesa, a firm specialized in economic research and analysis.
His areas of expertise include business intelligence, data analytics, financial and strategic advisory, as well as corporate finance services.
He has been an investment advisor, general manager and president of the Panama Stock Exchange, as well as the Latin American Stock Exchange. He has also been an independent director on several boards of directors.
The new Minister of Economy and Finance has a degree in economics from Brown University and a master’s degree from INCAE Business School.
His father, Guillermo Chapman, previously held the same position, in the PRD government of Ernesto Pérez Balladares (1994-1999). At that time, the portfolio was called the Ministry of Planning and Economic Policy.
Neither Chapman nor President Mulino have made a formal announcement of the appointment. But the news has leaked, given the expectation generated by the announcement of the elected ruler, who announced that during this week he would be forming his cabinet.
This is the most important appointment for Panama and its new Government, with which it sends a message to the markets, rating agencies and international organizations.
Chapman, 55, will replace Héctor Alexander, a 78-year-old technocrat whose professional career was between academia and the government sphere, with positions as deputy minister and head of Economy.
The market reacted to the appointment of Felipe Chapman to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).
Bloomberg reported that Panamanian sovereign bonds registered increases this Wednesday, May 15, above most of their emerging market peers, after President-elect José Raúl Mulino appointed the economist in charge of directing the country’s economic policy, which includes debt management.
Financier Álvaro Naranjo told La Prensa that “Chapman has the track record, knowledge and ability to take the reins of the ministry. He is a highly respected person in the sector who is very clear about the country’s economy.”
In this sense, he said that risk rating agencies, multilaterals, investors and businessmen know their trajectory, and that is why the markets have reacted positively to the bonds.
The price of bonds is inversely proportional to the yield, if prices go up, rates go down.
If rates go down, the cost of financing for the country decreases. This is reflected equally in the cost of financing for banks and finally for consumers, Naranjo indicated.
Bonds due in 2057, for example, rose 1.6 percentage points to 104.4, according to Bloomberg’s compilation.
Fernando Boyd, doctor of dental surgery and specialist in periodontics, will be the Minister of Health in the Government of José Raúl Mulino , which will begin on July 1.
Boyd graduated as a doctor of dental surgery from the University of Panama in 1979 and as a specialist in periodontology from the University of Pennsylvania, United States, in 1983.
Since 2007, he has been practicing as a periodontist at the Arango Orillac Clinic .
In addition, he was a professor of Oral Histology and Periodontics at the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Panama between 1984 and 1998.
He is a member of the Panamanian Dental Association, of which he was president from 1987 to 1988, as well as president of the Board of Directors of the Social Security Fund from 1990 to 1996.
He also served as president of the Dental Federation of Central America and Panama from 1998 to 2000, and president of the Panamanian Academy of Prosthetics and Occlusion.
This medium confirmed that he is a friend, compadre of the president-elect and is a member of the Civilist Crusade.
Jackeline Muñoz de Cedeño will be the Minister of Labor and Labor Development of the government of José Raúl Mulino.
Muñoz, current representative of the Central American Parliament, is the vice president and administrator of the Alianza party , a group founded by her father, former representative José Muñoz Molin
In the elections on May 5, Muñoz was the running mate of Sergio Chello Gálvez, in his attempt to become Mayor of Panama, a position that Mayer Mizrachi won, nominated by the Popular Party.
Among the tasks of the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Mitradel), a portfolio currently in the hands of Doris Zapata, is projecting, promoting, regulating, managing and executing the labor administration system, and establishing the national labor policy, according to what reads on the Mitradel digital site.